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A new year usually means new resolutions that most of us will forget about by the time February rolls around. Let's all make an active effort to stay on top of our goals and set plans into place to help us reach the next level we've all been dreaming of. Below I have listed some of my New Year resolutions and some tips on how to stick to your guns. It's time to cut the shit and get to it.

I like to set goals for myself every day, not just in the beginning of the year. However, there's something about a fresh start that awakens a monster of motivation within us. Here are some resolutions to help us stick to our resolutions. Ha!

SET GOALS

Write them down. It'll hold you more accountable. I also believe that writing things down makes them real; it's already thought of, now you just have to do it.

Create a vision board. Use old magazines or print out pictures and put inanimate objects on it. Get creative and make something that will inspire you every time you look at it.

Make a plan. Whether they're short term or long-term goals, you're going to need to figure out a realistic way to make them happen. i.e. If your goal is to find a new job by March, you might want to first update your resume, and apply to X amount of jobs per week.

Congratulate yourself every time you accomplish a new goal. It'll keep you motivated to continue.

STAY FIT

Exercise. Whether you going your local gym, go for a run every morning, do yoga, dance, kickboxing, etc. Exercise is a crucial part of staying fit. Your body gets stronger, it gives you a huge boost of self confidence, you look better, and you tend to live longer. If you can afford a Personal Trainer, that's the perfect way to stick to your routine. Pinterest is a good place to find workout routines for what you want to work on as well. After few weeks it will be a natural habit & you'll start to actually look forward to exercising.

Eat well. Cut the junk out of your diet. You're not 5 years old anymore so chill on the Oreos & Cheetos. I highly recommend doing your research and finding a balanced diet that is best for you based on your body type, your lifestyle and your blood type. (Eat Right for Your Blood Type)

FIND INNER PEACE

Mental health is just as important as physical. Make sure you are constantly challenging yourself to be positive and become a better version of yourself without being too hard on yourself.

Create a savings plan. I transfer a certain amount into my short term saving account every 2 weeks (for bills & monthly expenses). Then, I send a certain amount to a high yield online savings account for my long term goals (i.e. New car, new apartment, new laptop, travel, etc.)

Cut down spending. Do you reaaaallly need that $5 coffee every day? Maybe try packing your lunch instead of eating out. Take a look at your last few month's bank statements and notice your spending trends. Now figure out a way to cut back on the unnecessary stuff.

Rule of thumb: If you can't afford to buy it twice (2x the price), then don't buy it.

Invest. They key is to make your money make money without you needing to do anything. Whether you want to get into stocks, cryptocurrencies, or CDs. Explore your options and be smart! The sooner you start, the better.

Increase your income. Gone are the days when people have one source of income. Studies actually show that the average millionaire has 7 sources of income . Whether you work a 9-5 or you're taking the road less traveled, you need to find multiple ways to make money. Aside from investing, there are multiple ways to stream more income. Try freelancing on your free time whether you are an artist, a photographer, a makeup artist, a gamer, a hairdresser and so on, there's a market for everything and social media makes it so much easier to build your own business or brand. Find a main side hustle and master it. Try selling your unwanted or unworn clothes. There's multiple apps for this i.e. Poshmark (My personal fave), Mercari, Letgo

I Will Teach You to be Rich : This book has been my financial holy grail, It's basically a guide to financial freedom for the average person. I really recommend reading it.

CROSS SOME THINGS OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST

Travel. Far. Close. Alone. In a large group. Just book a ticket and go!

Try a new activity. Whether it's sky diving or learning to dance Salsa. Try some things you've always wanted to do but for some reason always found a reason not to.

Learn a new skill. If you want to learn how to edit videos or color hair, go for it. Not to mention it'll offer you another outlet to make money. With the internet nowadays, we have free information readily available to us so real you have no valid excuses.

Explore your city. Yup, like a tourist. Or like a local. Or maybe both. Challenge yourself to do things and go places that are out of the norm for you.

STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

I cannot stress this one enough! This should be something that you strive for every single day, in all aspects of your life. They didn't lie when they said great things never came from comfort zones.

FIND YOUR PASSION

Whether you want to be a nurse or a famous music artist, figure out what it is that sets your soul on fire and go for it full force. Don't let anybody else's doubts reflect on you and don't stop until you get there. You can't fail if you never quit.

REMOVE TOXICITY

Cow milk, bad friends, and a cheating boyfriend all have something in common: They are toxic for you! So stop being a weak a** b*tch and cut it out of your life.

Notice the people who drain your energy, or who suddenly get all quiet when you share an accomplishment with them. If your relationship seems to drain you more than it fulfills you, maybe its time to let it go (Of course, you should do some self reflection first to make sure you aren't the issue.)

My
longest and most difficult challenge through my entire life has been finding inner
peace or “freeing myself.” I grew up in a pretty negative environment so
reacting to outside factors, waiting for the next bad thing to happen and being
negative-minded was a natural thing to me. The older I got the more this became
a burden to me and it eventually developed into depression and anxiety. It
wasn’t until I went away to college and physically separated myself from a
familiar place that I really learned to retrain my mind, body and soul. Looking
back, I’ve made so much progress and my accomplishments can attest to it. Once
I started taking active responsibility for the good AND especially the bad in
my life and thinking positively, my whole life changed for the better.

Some things
that helped me become more conscious of my thoughts and remain centered were
meditation, yoga, reading self-help books and listening to positive
affirmations (this especially helped when I was having an anxiety attack – just
search ‘Positive Affirmations’ on YouTube). My favorite self-help book isThe Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourselfby Michael A Singer. It gets
really deep about consciousness and separating your physical body from your
spirit. It really helped me put things into perspective and I truly have been
more grounded and conscious since I adopted the methods they promote in the
book.

I’d like
to share a short piece of writing from one of my favorite motivators on
Instagram (@Idillionaire) that pretty much sums up this whole subject.

Calmness
is a superpower. The ability to not overreact or take things personal keeps
your mind clear and your heart at peace. You have to learn how to not be
controlled by other people’s negativity. You can’t walk around with a button
that can easily be pushed. You can’t be swayed left or right every second by
what others outside of you are saying and doing. You have to learn how to be in
control of your inner emotions and gain inner stability. Be too great for negativity and nonsense.

Your emotions:

You might
not realize this, but you choose how you want to feel. You choose to be sad,
happy, excited, up and or down. However, when people don’t understand this,
they become reactors. Reactors, tie their inner emotions to things, people,
situations, and or circumstances. They wait till “this” happens to be happy.
They can’t be excited unless “that: happens. Have you noticed, that when you’re
just happy for no reason, people ask, “What are you so happy about?” It’s like
we can’t just be in that state, without having a reason. And for most people,
if there is no reason to be happy, they are either sad or depressed waiting for
something on the outside to shift their inner state.

Start choosing your inner
state:

First
step is deciding how you want to feel. If you don’t decide, you’ll be waiting
for something on the outside to decide for you. When you make a clear-cut decision,
nothing will alter that state, if you keep your vision on the choice you made.
You have the most effect on your reality when you feel good. Feeling good
aligns you to the things you desire. The environment might look the same; but
the mind looking at it has changed. Know that your inner reality, controls your
outer reality.

Be free:

I know
you might not have been taught this, but you’re meant to feel good for no
reason. You’re meant to be happy for no reason. You’re meant to smile for no
reason. Let yourself go and be free. You no longer have to wait to get these
feelings. You no longer have to expect others to give it to you to get these
feelings. We have to stop tying ourselves down when we’re meant to fly.

Thanks for reading loves. I really hope you learn to free yourself as well!

I think it's easy to be thankful for things that are naturally in good spirits. Good health, a loving partner, a happy family, a good paying job. But real gratitude is when you can be grateful for the things that aren't so pretty. We all know life isn't always shits & giggles, so it's important to maintain a grateful heart even when shit hits the fan. Below is a list of my biggest struggles that I learned to look at in a positive light.

OVERTHINKING. If I had a dollar for every time I stressed myself out while overthinking, I’d be on a private jet headed to my bungalow mansion in the Maldives right now. Overthinking can cause you to miss out on a lot of great opportunities so i try my best to not let it dictate my actions even though i feel the need to go through all the motions mentally. I’m grateful for my overworked mind because it has also lead me to a lot of great successes. I like to think of all possible outcomes of a situation and in some cases this helps, like how to graduate college early, or how to lower my credit card debt, or how to travel around Europe for as cheap as possible. It’s probably why I always did well in school and excelled in any position I’ve held.

GETTING MY HEART BROKEN. Nothing will break you down like love gone wrong. We are partially at fault for having such high hopes and expectations for people to fit this perfect image we have for our partner. But really what is love without hope? It would just be boring. So as much as it hurts, and as much as it makes you question yourself and what you did to deserve being done so dirty, once you come to terms with the fact that it was never YOU that was the issue you find peace. I never thought I’d be in the situations I was in in my last relationship. It got extremely toxic, from white lies to huge ones, cheating, manipulation, disrespect. I always swore I’d never be “that girl.” But let me tell you, it’s not as easy to get out of as you think. Too many times I felt hopeless and “stuck.” Im so grateful I found the strength to leave a toxic situation even though in my heart I wanted so badly to believe things would get better. Sometimes you can truly love a person but that doesn’t mean that they’re good for you. The challenges and pain i had to overcome from this situation made me better in so many ways. It humbled me, because of course i thought “I’d never get cheated on..I’m too good of a woman for that.” But truth is, it doesn’t matter how great you are, how many times you hold shit down emotionally or financially, how many massages you give your man, how bomb your sex is, how independent you are, if a person is going to cheat, they’re going to do it regardless. It also taught me the importance of self love. Never ever ever forget your worth, especially when you fall in love (because that is the easiest time to get lost in someone else and forget who tf you really are). Most importantly, never let a person who is bad for you make you colder, you’ll only be doing yourself a disservice.

BEING A MISFIT. I’ve never really “fit in” anywhere. I was kind of like a walking oxymoron. I was a “cool kid” in honors classes. Too cool for the nerds, and too nerdy for the cool kids. Being mixed, I was too white for the Spanish kids and too Spanish for the white kids. I went to a predominantly white elementary school because the schools in my neighborhoods weren’t as good. But of course i was too “ghetto” for most of the kids at school and too “proper” for the kids on my block. I was head cheerleader in High School But i also played the clarinet in the school band and marching band. At pep rallies I’d have to play the National Anthem in my clarinet in my cheer uniform then run to lead my cheer team into our routine. I don’t click well with females, but a female can’t have guy friends or she’s a “hoe” or they just catch feelings and shit gets awkward. It goes a lot deeper than this but I think I’ll save that for its own post soon. Moral of the story is I never fit in anywhere and there was a time where it really took a toll on my confidence and happiness... but I’ve learned to embrace it and own my individuality. It means learning to truly enjoy my own company, and be at peace knowing that i may never connect with people on the level that I want to.

BEING A PERFECTIONIST. OCD is an understatement. I’m an organization freak, a control freak, an over-achiever and so on. It comes in handy when you’re in college and on e-board for two clubs, work two jobs, need to schedule naps between classes and turning up and you plan every hour of your day in your planner...BUT it has definitely caused me a few grey hairs and a lot of headaches. Through all the stress I’ve learned the importance of letting go and to just let things flow and be ok with the fact that I do not have control.

BEING BULLIED. Oh boy. Middle school kids are so freaking mean. LET ME TELL YOU. Thankfully, social media was only just emerging when I was in middle school, i can’t imagine how hard it must be on the kids now with all these social networks. MySpace and AIM were the hottest things back then (GOD I’M OLD.) I was bullied A LOT in middle school. Both online and at school. Some of the most common thugs I was made fun of for (and this was every single day) were my short legs, my big forehead, my big head, having hairy arms, being a “slut”. I can’t even tell you the kind of rumors that we’re going around about me WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD. I couldn’t use the bathroom at school without being taunted by older or bigger girls calling me all kinds of names, trying to intimidate me, writings on the bathroom stalls about me and even boys would taunt me too. I dealt with a lot of ridicule from people I didn’t know as well as friends and family (although i don’t know that they’re really aware of how much the negatively contributed.) It definitely took a mental and emotional toll on me, even physical. I went into a depression in 7th grade, I never wanted to go to school, so I was absent a lot or late every day just so I can avoid the early morning crowds going into school and on the city bus. I just didn’t understand why my existence bothered people so much. I never talked about anyone, started any drama or gave anyone a reason to have a problem with me. I was just a girl who got good grades, played the clarinet, dressed weird and minded my business. I had like four best friends who i hung out with (2 of whom I’m still best friend with.) Thankfully I could talk to my mom about what i was going through and she kept me grounded and reminded me constantly to not let other people’s personal issues hold me back from living my best life. This experience played a large part in the person i am today. It taught me not to care what other people think of me, and if they’re trying to bring me down it’s only because they have issues they need to deal with themselves. It taught me compassion and to never be mean to people. You have no idea what someone can be going through.

BEING A FEMALE. We all know that unfortunately in this society, women have to work a lot harder to get what is so freely given to men. We have to do all this all the while bleeding for a week straight every month. We are held to higher standards but not given nearly the same rewards as men. Being a minority woman makes it even harder to get ahead. As much of a challenge it is, I’m grateful for it because it made me go harder in every aspect of my life. I was raised by a strong, independent woman so I’ve seen first-hand how much a woman can accomplish on her own. And truly there’s nothing more powerful then empowered women coming together to support eachother and build eachother up. There’s such a rewarding feeling behind being the underdog and coming out on top, and i feel like that’s what it’s like being a woman in America today.

BEING AN ADULT. You’re never prepared for the “real world” no matter how many lectures you hear on it or how many crash courses you take. It’s always gonna slap you in the face one way or another. My slap in the face was 6 months after I graduated college when my mom told me she was moving and cutting me off financially. I was focusing on building my brand at the time and really did not want to work a 9-5 if I didn’t have to. Unfortunately, that ended quickly and I was forced to “grow up” and get a job and support myself. It took me a reeeeaaaalllllyyyyy long time to get used to it and not be totally bitter about the situation. Anyone who knows me knows how unconventional I am. I hate routine. I hate authority. I hate the never ending cycle of normalcy most people succomb to in this society. I’m finally learning to see the bright side of my situation though. I landed a great job, some may even say career, in the field I went to school for, I’m working in the heart of the fashion district on 5th Ave in Manhattan, and I don’t receive support from anyone

BEING RAISED BY A SINGLE MOM. I had to learn at a young age that the world was not all sweet and dandy. I grew up in an abusive household, and my parents split when I was 4 years old. Growing up with a single mom who worked her ass off to support me and my older brother was definitely a challenge. As a child you don’t understand why relationships don’t work out and your just left wondering why someone who created you wouldn’t want to be in your life. My mom was always working to make ends meet so she wasn’t always able to come to my school book sales, band concerts, cheer performances, Parent-Teacher conferences and so on. I always felt left out when the other kids had their parents there for everything but hindsight is 20/20. I’m grateful because it taught me to be independent and I truly don’t know how my mom did such an amazing job on her own. I was aware of the damage that a toxic relationship can cause to both the people in it and surrounding it at a really young age. I learned a lot of lessons about love, respect, hard work and most of all perseverance from growing up with a single mom.

BEING BROKE. All my life all I’ve known is struggle. Too many times we went without luxuries most people are used to like cable, junk food, AC, new clothes, the newest in technology, etc. It humbled me and taught me not to place value on trivial things. I learned to make the most of what little I had and worked harder so i wouldn’t have to struggle for the rest of my life. I learned to be frugal and strategic with my money. Most importantly, I was taught to give to people in need even if i don’t have much to offer.

ANXIETY. I mention this one a lot. It was the biggest struggle I’ve ever faced. That’s probably because it was an internal battle rather than something external. I’m still fighting to find the words to explain how debilitating anxiety can be. Everyone experiences it differently and it sounds crazy to people who haven’t experienced it. At the bottom of it all anxiety taught me to appreciate the most basic aspects of life, especially life itself. Too many times when my anxiety swallowed me and dying sounded so much more appealing then living through it. Now, I appreciate breathing normally, and being around people I love without being jittery and my mind running wild, i appreciate when my heart beats at a normal pace and when my stomach isn’t turning. I appreciate falling asleep peacefully and not waking up to a racing heart and scary thoughts. I am so grateful for feeling normal.

Writing this post was a bit of a challenge for me because I overthink ev-er-y-thing! As I was listing things to include, I would counter with a thought on why I CAN live without these things and I started to feel like this was pointless. I can pretty much say I'm not a materialistic person. I always had to get creative with the bare minimum and it taught me to not place value on material things. Of course every now and then I like to be a regular human and indulge in nice things. Below is a list of things I can live without, but would really rather not.

1. A pretty smile (: (I really can't live without this one.) I try to look at the positive in every situation and smile when things get tough. Even if I'm going crazy in my head, smiling & laughing trigger physical responses within the body that help you feel better. I'm currently working on whitening these bad boys with Hi Smile teeth whitening kit. Cannot wait to show you guys the results!

2. Some bomb-ass cat eye sunnies. The ones pictured above were developed by me for Fantaseyes Inc. I'm a product developer by day - everything else by night lol. Cat eyes are definitely my silhouette of choice because they can spice up any outfit and they have attitude, just like me (:

3. A good ol' fashion magazine. I mainly use them for visual inspiration & ideas for sunglasses, blog posts, outfits, and anything really. They keep my creative side alive. Side note: I've always wanted to take part in creating a magazine. I'll probably try it out at some point.

4. A good poetry book. Had you told me I would say this about a year ago I would've laughed in your face. I was never a book person, let alone poetry. However, these past two years have really been a huge emotional and spiritual journey for me. I find that I have a new appreciation for anything that involves self expression and art. Poetry helps me make sense of my thoughts and emotions. The book pictured above, Becoming by Shana Marie Roark was so relatable and definitely helped me get through some tough times these past few months.

5. My body pillow. I have to sleep with a bunch of pillows and blankets in order to sleep well. It might be a security thing? I don't know but I can't sleep without my body pillow between my knees and to hold onto lol, yeah I'm pretty much a 23 yr old baby.

6. MUSIC! What the hell would life be without it? It gets me turnt up when I need to be, it soothes my hopeless romantic when I'm in my feelings, it helps me sleep when I'm having anxiety attacks, it brings a deeper meaning to life. It transcends languages and cultures - it IS like a universal language. My JBL flip is liiiiiiife. It's so small and easy to travel with & even though it's small it is very powerful and it BANGS!

7. My car. I don't know how I ever survived without it. Especially now that the weather is damn near at the freezing point. I can't imagine stepping foot outside my house without having a warm comfy car to get me where I need to go. With music blasting of course! I actually just got my license & car earlier this year, so I'm a fairly new driver and I'm already kind of sick of driving just like everyone told me I would be, haha!

8. Dry shampoo. I can't tell you how many times it transformed me from homeless person to bad bitch. I have really thick and frizzy hair so washing & styling takes me a while and tbh I don't have the time to do my hair multiple times a week.

9. A dope pair of kicks. I am a sneaker head at heart. I'd choose a dope fair of Air Force 1's over boots or heels any day because ummm comfort always wins.

10. Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy collection. Ever since I discovered these products some years ago, I have not stopped using them. They even updated their packaging which is much more aesthetically pleasing than it used to be. I really believe that certain scents stimulate brain function and have positive affects on the mind and body. The 'Comfort' scent from this collection is my favorite!

Yes, I’m wearing white after Labor Day. Who makes these stupid rules any way? Honestly you either make the rules or break em. That’s the way I see it. This is probably why I don’t do so well with authority haha!

Although this look is definitely more fit for the warmer seasons due to its cuts and materials, it can work in the transitional seasons as well. Unfortunately it already feels like winter in NY ): If you read my Miami Travel Diary, you saw me rock this fit to a fashion show during Swim Week. It’s definitely one of my more risqué looks. I either dress really laid back and "boyish" or barely wear clothes, like this look haha. There usually isn't an in-between.

I felt really bawsé in this outfit and looking back at the photos trying to think of a concept to write about, the saying “if you wanna talk the talk you gotta walk the walk” came to me. Which brings me to my next point. It’s really a pet peeve of mine when people preach a life they do not follow. The growth of social media as a prevalent part of our daily lives seems to have given people this false sense of identity. I seriously hate it. You guys all know that I’m all for thinking positive and spreading good vibes, and I love people who do the same. But when it just becomes nothing more than a quote you post on Instagram meanwhile you’re actually a negative force in real life, it means nothing. Too many things become trends nowadays and people just hop on the bandwagon without actually taking the time to understand the origin and meaning of said things. These things take time and a lot of hard work! It requires a lot of self reflection and most importantly being honest with yourself even when it hurts.Do you ask yourself how you have made a positive impact on the world or someone else's life every day? Do you redirect your negative thoughts to positive ones? Do you move away from negative people and situations? Do you actually practice what you preach? Try talking less & doing more.

I’ve been on a real camo kick lately. I find that I tend to stick to a certain color scheme for a certain amount of time until I get tired of it then I move on to the next. I was so excited for the transition into Fall, because well Fall fashion is my fave. Earth tones and dark colors are definitely my thing.

Streetwear is definitely my niche. I’ve always been a tomboy with “girly” tendencies and I’m learning to really master my own style to reflect my personality better. I love styling menswear looks in a way that compliments my body and offer an unexpected appeal. You can definitely catch me shopping in the men’s section of all my favorite stores.

With that being said, I had the pleasure of modeling some pieces from the FW1 collection for Ethik Clothing Co. Windbreakers have definitely made a triumphant return into streetwear and I’m all for it. They’re perfect for chilly or rainy days and they give off real nostalgic 90s vibes. Something about a dope jacket just wins me over. Comfy tapered sweats and kicks complete this laid back look that is certainly streetwear certified. Yeah, that was corny. Haha!